Paul Humphreys rambles on....

Paul Humphreys rambles on....
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Monday October 18, 2004

Monarchy - David Starkey

Last night on the less favoured Channel 4 was a new history series by David Starkey. Called Monarchy this mammoth series will be four years of television and forty episodes! Of course there is already a book you can buy. Starkey has done other history programms Elizabeth I was another good one.

Getting back to the current programm this starts during the dark ages where England had to put up with many kings instead of just one monarch. Offa was the first of one of these kings to try and stitch the country into one, he was the first to put his name on the coins of his realm, he setup his son to be his heir. It was all to be in vain but he has left his mark on the country with a barrier he had built to keep the pesky Welsh at bay Offas Dyke .

This is not the place to document the series but to encourage you to watch it. It is on channel 4 Monday evenings at 9pm ( GMT).

For people like me who either did not listen at school and were clearly not enthused by the teachers there have been several other gems on TV to catch up with past history. History of Britain , Simon Schama was another multi series effort and on a smaller scale Battlefields, Richard Holmes both bring history to life.

( Oct 18 2004, 10:00:00 PM PDT ) Permalink Comments [1]

Comments:

Actually, John Davies in "A History of Wales" argues that Offa's Dyke was more of an administrative boundary marking the border of Wales and Mercia. It may not have been fortified and defended in the manner of Hadrian's Wall, and there is some evidence of trade across it. It's a good programme, but I find Starkey's heavily emphasised style of speaking rather wearing - certainly no Schama.

Posted by Ade Rixon on October 19, 2004 at 02:57 AM PDT #